Air circulator



A. G. SCHERER AIR GIRCULATOR Filed Sept. 5. 1922 2 Sheets-Shea? 1 Nov.13 1923.

A. G. SCHERER AIR CIRCULATOR) File d Sept 5, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 latented Nov. l3, 15 23.

' ALBERT e. SGHEBER; or cirroaeo. trimmers, ASSIG-NQR ran EXGELSIORs'rnnn r'oanncn corrrnnr, or o'trcnoo, rnnrivors, A oonroanrron orILLINOIS.

AIR CIR-GULATDB.

Application filed September 5, 1922.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT G. Scnnnnn, acitizen of the United States, residing at Chicago in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in AirCirculator, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to apparatus for circulating air in heatingand ventilating systems, and has for its principal ob ject the provisionof structure that may be installed in the return cool air pipe andconnected with a duct or pipe leading to one of the rooms r apartmentsbeing heated. In this connection. I have provided a nozzle in the unitthat is installed in the air pipe so that eddy and back currents areavoided, and I have also designed the apparatus so that it may beconveniently employed in connection with an ordinary electric fan. Otherobjects reside in the pro vision of an air circulator that is easy toinstall, is made up of few parts and which may be fabricated at areasonable cost so that it may be retailed at a moderate price. I preferto accomplish the foregoing and other objects by the means hereinafterdescribed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings that show atypical or preferred embodiment of the principles of my invention.

In the drawings: 7

Fig. 1 is a view partly in section showing a fragmental portion of a hotair furnace, its return pipe and my air circulator incorporatedtherewith.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line 22, Fig. 1, showing the fittingfor the air pipe and the injector nozzle.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3, Fig. 1., looking in thedirection of the arrows. I

Fig. 4 is a top plan of the box in which the fan is installed.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail plan of the closure through which theconductor wire passes from the fan motor to the plug.

Similar reference characters have been employed to designate the sameparts throughout the se eral views. In Fig. 1, I have shown.schematically a furnace shell 10 having the usual bonnet 11 and hot airoutlet or outlets 12 therein. The cool air conduit or return pipe 13connectsfwith the bottom or lower portion of shell 10 and Serial No.588,165.

turns upwardly, in the illustration. shown, to a floor registered laabove the furnace. An auxiliary return pipe or flue 15 is positionedbetween the studding of the partition walls of the building and leadsfrom the upper floors so that cool air may be taken in through registers16 adjacent the floors and, below the flooring on the first story isprovided a boot 1'? that connects the rectangular conduit or pipe 15 tothe cylindrical pipe or conduit 18 that is connected to the lower end ofthe boot. The object of return pipe 15 and conduit 18, which is acontinuation thereof, is to take in cool air from portions of thebuilding; other than at the floor register 1&, and, by means of mycirculator device. to discharge the air so received into return pipe 13at a higher velocity than is ordinarily the case where the circulationdepends upon gravity, and in. such a manner that the entire flow of airin pipe 13 is increased.

Interposed in return pipe 13 is a unit of greater diameter than thediameter of pipe 13, which is formed by means of oppositely taperedconical walls 19 and 20, which are arranged base to base and convergetoward their juncture with return pipe 13. Secured to and depending fromthe upper end of wall 19 is an interior pipe 21 of cylindrical shape andof a diameter corresponding to the diameter of return pipe 13, whichterminates above the lower edge of the lower conical wall 20 in aninwardly tapered portion 22 so that its lower end edge is out of contactwith wall 20 to provide an air passage therebetween. Intermediate itsheight, cylindrical pipe 21 isprovided with an openinp; into which isfitted a relatively small substantially l.-shaped injector pipe or tube22 arranged with its discharge end facing downwardly in the axis ofcylinder 21 and return pipe 13.

Leading from an opening 23 in conical walls 19 and 20 and adjacent andfacing the inlet end of injector pipe 22 is a small conduit 24 ofsubstantially the same diameter as the auxiliary pipe 18, heretoforealluded to, and preferably aliningaxially with the inlet end of injectortube 22. The auxiliary pipe 18 and pipe 24;, just referred to, terminateadjacent each other and have interposed therebetween a box-likestructure in which thefan or blower for increasing the velocity of theair is installed. This box like structure comprises a top 25 and bottom26, preferably formed of two rectangular pieces of wood that are spacedapart and have their edges secured to the surrounding side walls 27which are preferably formed of a sheet of metal of a length to form thetour side walls and which is provided in each of the four walls with anopening 28 of substantially the diameter of auxiliary pipe 18 and pipe24:, heretofore mentioned. By providing short lateralflange's or collars29 to fit openings 28, it will be observed pipes 18 and 24- mayberconnected to whichever opening is mostconvenientin order to saveusing a number of elbows and joints in making the connection Two 0ftthese openings in the structure illustrated are utilized for theseconnections andthe remaining openings are closed by means of flangedcaps 30.

In order to support the structure and add additional strength theretothe box is mounted bymeans of two stringers 31 nailed at their lowerends to the wood portions of the box, and at their upper ends secured tocross-pieces 82 conveniently connected to the joist or the structure ofthe building. The blower is of the ordinary electric fan type, as shownat 33' in the drawings, so that it is not necessary for the user toemploy an expensive blower for this purpose. The fan is inserted throughone of openings 28 by removing one of caps 30 and is positioned with itsblades toward connecting pipe 24, as shown in'the drawings. The electricplug 34lis then passed through an opening 35, preferably in the top ofthe box, and inserted in the usual socket connection.' In order to closeopening 35 and prevent dust and'other foreign matter from the cellarentering the system through this opening, I have provided the samewith aflexible diaphragm 36, preferably formed of a disc of rubber that'isprovided with a diametrical slit 37, and at its centerhas an aperture 38of suflicient size to accommodate the transverse dimensions of the cordor similar conductor leading from the tan to the plug. This disk isplaced over opening 35 in the box and is secured in position by means ofan annulus 89 that is tacked, or otherwise secured to the box. lVhen theplug is inserted through the diaphragm, slit 37 will permit the rubberto flex on each'side thereof and allow the passage of the plug, afterwhich the diaphragm will close andthe cord will bepositioned in aperture38.

f When the fan is set in motion the air 'drawnthrough register 16 isforced by'the action'of the fan. at'an increased velocity into-pipe '24from which. it is discharged into-the unit composed of wallsl9, 20 and21 "a portion of'the air passing into injector tube 22 ifrom. which itis discharged axially downwardly into the cool air'return conduit '13."The remaining air under increased velocity from the tan discharges fromthe unit between wall 20 and the lower end of the inner cylindrical wall21 in a downward direction into the return or cool air conduit 13. Theemployment of the injector in the position herein disclosed prevents theliability of eddy and back currents and the apparatus greatly increasesthe circulation of the airin the system.

It will be obvious, that should it be desired, other connections may bemade with other openings in the box in which the tan is positioned byrunning one or more other leads 0t pipe from the box to other locationsin the building or apartment being heated in order to draw otl' more airfrom the lower or cooler portions of the rooms.

lVhat I claim is i. The combination with an air conduit, of a fittinginterposed therein consisting of oppositely tapered outer wallsconverging away from each other and adapted to fit adjacent portions ofsaid conduit, an inner wall of substantially the diameter of the conduitarranged within said fitting in spaced relation to saidtapered walls toprovide a passageway therebetween, an L- shaped injector tube withinsaid fitting and discharging into the same, and means connected with theouter walls adjacent the in take of the injector tube for dischargingair into the fitting and injector tube.

' 2. An air circulator comprising a conductor pipe, a fittinginterposedtherein and formed with inner and outer spaced walls toprovide a passageway discharging into said pipe, an angular tube openingat one end into the passageway and with its opposite end disposedlongitudinally of said pipe, and means opening into the aforesaidstructure for discharging air into said passageway and through saidtube.

3. An air circulator comprising aconductor pipe, a fitting interposedtherein and formed with inner and outer spaced walls to provide apassagewaydischarging into said pipe, a tube leading from saidpassageway through the inner wall and discharging into said pipe,and'means communicating with the aforesaid structure whereby air is saidpassageway and tor pipe, a fitting interposed therein and formed withinner and outer spa ed Walls to provide a passageway discharging intosaid pipe, a tube leading from said passage- Way through the inner walland discharging into said pipe; said outer Wall provided with an inletopening in front of the inlet end or" said tube, an auxiliary pipedischarging into said passageway through said inlet opening, and ablower in said auxiliary pipe whereby air is forced through the latterpipe, said passageway and tube.

6. An air circulator comprising a conductor pipe a portion thereofformed with inner and outer Walls to provide an annular passagewayoutside said pipe which passageway communicates therewith at the lowerend of the inner Wall, an auxiliary pipe communicating With saidpassageway above the point of discharge of the latter, a tube leadingfrom said passageway into the interior of the aforesaid structure, and ablower discharging in said auxiliary pipe in the direction of theconductor pipe.

Signed at Chicago, county of Cook and State of Illinois, this 1st day ofSeptember, 1922.

ALBERTG. SOHERER Witness:

FLORENCE MITCHELL.

